As a matter of fact, there were several neighbors walking by on Sunday when I was outside that I haven't seen all winter! They did inquire about what I was using. They couldn't believe the shine. IF they think I'm a kook, they never said anything. Besides, I don't spend a lot of time keeping that shine. A quick wash and a quick coat of Z-2/Z-6 is all it takes.

We have our own conference! I'm certain that if someone wanted to post about what we used before Zaino (or any wax that we've had experience with), we wouldn't mind!

Personally, over the course of years, I've used:

-Simonize-Different renditions of Turtle Wax-MOther's Gold-Different Meguiars formulations (including Gold Class and their multistep Glaze and wax)-Collonite-Zymol (some real expensive versions and some less expensive...like the one Turtle Wax makes that you find at WalMart)-Eagle One Wet-Nu Finish-Liquid Glass-3M glaze and wax-Klasse-P21

I'm sure that I'm forgetting a few. I used to have a whole wall of my garage filled with partially used cans/bottles of the above. I pitched all of them after finding Zaino last year. The only thing on one shelf now is:

I searched and searched for cotton wash mit as suggested in an early post and found a sponge with a 100% cotton exterior. Actually it has twisted strands of cotton, similar to a mop. They are made in Canada and presume it is 100% cotton. However, I also found a 100% sheepskin wool washmitt. It is 100%...the leather is on the inside to prove it. Because I live in snow country, the car gets quite dirty with salt and sand and other road grime, so I want to ensure I use something that won't scratch and works well with my Zaino. Any views on cotton vs. wool?

That photo wasn't a car. If you look closely, it didn't have an engine, and thus, it was pulled by a horse. Using powerful photo analysis, we've determined that it was built in 1896 and was junked in 1903 due to owner frustration with the finish. Seems he used whale oil instead of wax. And you can see the results. See all them water spots? Could have been avoided! After all, that thing has at least another 100K miles in it.

This is my first post on this forum; however, I've been following you guys for months. Yes, you converted me and I was convinced Zaino was the miracle product. So, with my new, 2000 black, SS Monte Carlo on order, I slowly gathered all the Zaino products and 100% cotton towels I would need to provide my new toy with the best treatment available.

This Tuesday, my new car arrived and while it looked great, the paint wasn't exactly smooth and had some smudges, so Wednesday morning, taking a day off, I set out to give it the Zaino works.

The Dawn wash, the claying the Z-1, Z-2 and Z-6 and I was done in about 5-6 hours. The only problem I encountered was the Z-2 was a little difficult coming off. Reason...I probably put on a little too much and secondly, didn't wait long enough before removing it. Eventually I got it off and after applying the Z-6, it is absolutely AWESOME. You guys haven't exaggerated one bit and I couldn't be more happy with the Zaino Shine! Even the car was smiling!

Now for the rest of the story... All shined up and wanting to show it off, I headed for town to get my new license tag. I hadn't gone 3 miles when a @#$%*& dump truck with the rear gate loose and dropping all kinds of dirt and rocks flies past me going about 70 mph and Yep, you guessed it, WHAM.. a rock hits my windshield dead center and a foot long crack appears! ARRRGH! I am livid and then sick over it. Talk about bursting your bubble! I do feel a little better about it today than I did yesterday. Only 50 total miles on my car and now it is going in for repair, this is unbelievable Geez.. I thought Zaino would have protected me from this kinda stuff!Ron

That's a boomer that Zaino can't protect against windshield cracks... Get the original replacement. Aftermarket glass often inferior.

Talking about glass. I am going to use glass polish for the first time. Any tips? Do I need to wash glass after removing polish before applying RainX kind of product (I am going to try the STP version).

Have you seen the new Chrysler commercial? It start with several females holding up a sign saying "Car Wash: $5.00" who see a 300M coming and quickly cross out "$5.00" and write below it "free". This is followed by some shots of them splashing the 300M with water, scrubbing, et cetera, before they finally end the commercial with a whole parking lot full of Chryslers being washed. I think all the cars were the Champagne Pearl Coat in color.

1. Clay, found it relatively easy to use, but my arm was a bit sore at the end. Did notice a bit of difference, but now blow me away difference. Likely due to the fact that I'm pretty good about maitaining my car (2 coats of Meguiars Gold Class since early Jan and the paint was quite smooth to begin with.)

2. Z7 Wash: Washed vehicle. Man o man! The z-7 alone, with no wax on the car made the water bead and sheet off! It even made the car feel like it had a coat of wax! I was impressed.

3. I used the tip of dampening Zaino applicator with a bit a water and a spritz of Z6. Worked well increase the spreadability of the products.

4. Z1: Went on with a snap, although, even on my Winestone colour, it was hard to notice where I had done once it dried. Luckily, I followed a methodilogical pattern which allowed me to track my progress.

5. Z5: Also went on easily enough over top the Z1. I had a hard time getting rid of a smearing effect, even though the Z5 dried in my heated garage for 2 hours.

Results? It did not remove the very few light scratches and scuff marks on my paint. I do have very few and know where they are located, and don't see a noticeable improvement after the Z5.Shine is quite noticeable as is the "wet appearance". Honestly though, I'm not sure I can say it is much better than when I apply a fresh coat of Meguiars Gold Class Its hard to say without a side by side comparison, and I have yet to apply a coat or two of Z2. So I'll hold further comments until this weekend when I plan to get Z2 on the vehicle.

Just more thing...I think the real test will be in durability. Although the Meguiars did an amazing job of giving the wet appearance and shine, it really did not last that long. After a couple of washes, it loses its deep shine.

LOL...... I know EXACTLY what commercial you're talking about! I just saw it last night! WHY did it remind you of me?? Because my car is always clean?? LOL....

I don't know about where you live, but in CT, the Chrysler ads on TV are beginning to outnumber the Toyota ads!! That's going some.

luck11-

It takes SEVERAL coats of Z-5, over time, to remove the scratches/swirls. I cannot understand WHY I do NOT have to wait hours for the Z stuff to dry on my car?? I just did Z-1/Z-5/Z-6 to my 300M last Sunday. It was 35 outside in the sun when I started and went up to around 40 when I finished. I did the Z-1 because I've only done it twice before in the 16 months since I started using ZAINO on my 21 month old car. I did wait a little longer this time for everything to dry, but that's because I was putting one coat on top of another. It was only a matter of maybe 10-15 minutes, not hours. I know you're not alone, but I have never encountered this.

Even on my Candy Apple Red, it's hard to see where you put the Z. You cannot be distracted while you're doing this or you lose your place! LOL....

I, too, was a regular user of Meguiars products previous to the ZAINO. The wet-look shine was not the same with the Meguiars. The difference will come in the durability and longevity of the shine. The initial process is time consuming, but now that you did that, the upkeep is NOTHING!!! Just wait until you have a few more coats of Z-5 and Z-2 on it. I think you'll be very pleased.

Forgot about the multiple coats of z5. About the drying/smearing...can't understand it either. Did the finger test and it sure seemed dry. I wonder, could brand new towels cause the problem? Have people on this board washed their towels before first use? I used the Cannon 100% cotton, but wonder if the cotton contains some sort of fabric softener to fluff them up so they look good on the shelf. Yes, I know...I'm really grasping at straws.

Anyway, I'll post my results after z2. By the way, can I wash my Zaino applicator in hot water and detergent as suggested for the towels?

Yes, new towels contain sizing. You may notice that funky smell when you walk into one of those discount stores that sell nothing buy linens & towels, that's the sizing - some folks, like my first wife, are slightly allergic to it. Her eyes would start to turn red & water as soon as we'd walk in the door. Yes, you should wash them before using them, but I can't say for sure that that would prevent your problem.

retiredjeff is right- you should have washed the towels first. I don't know if this would have helped the smearing either. Maybe you should have backed your car outside into the fresh air for a while to help the drying process. It could be that the heated garage had some moisture in it that caused the ZAINO to smear because it wasn't really dry. The other thought, I think you mentioned it, is that you used too much ZAINO when you applied it. It does NOT take much to get the job done. I know that when I used to use regular waxes/polishes I was used to applying it heavy. Not so with ZAINO.

As for the ZAINO applicator- DON'T put it in the washing machine! It is sewn with cotton threads and not nylon threads to prevent scratching. Thus, it is not as strong. Wash it in the sink with hot water and liquid dishwashing detergent. Just keep rinsing and squeezing it out. Let it air dry. You should do this right after you're done with the applicator so as to clean it BEFORE the ZAINO dries. It may be stained, but that does not hinder its use.

You'll get the hang of this as you go on. Like I said before, wait until you see how easy it is to keep that wet look shine.

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps moisture in the garage was a problem, and I should know better from the condensation I get on my garage windows during winter. Towels may be the other culprit. They are washed now, and I'll be putting on z2 today. My wife threw the pad in the washing machine!! It came out ok though, but in the future, I will hand wash as suggestd.

I don't think I applied too much product, but I guess it is possible. I am used to, even with other products, putting very thing coats to facilitate removal. Also, the prep of the applicator (water and z6) made very little go a long way. In fact, I used very little z1 and z5, and sometimes, I thought I was spreading too thin.

Oh well, we'll see how the z2 goes today, with a second coat tomorrow.

If it's a nice day, put the Zaino on outdoors. I've put in on in temps as low as 35, but it was a clear day, and I applied it in the sun. In every case it has been dry in just over 1 hour. That's something else I really like about Zaino - applying it in direct sunlight is no problem. And the "garages" they are putting in houses today are so small, there is very little room to work on the car. Also, applying it outdoors makes it a little easier to see where you've been.

As I said in a previous post, my Z2 smeared and I was applying it in shade with the temp around 72. I waited about an hour which obviously wasn't long enough. I really think the main reason for smearing is humidity. Here in Mississippi the weather is warm, but the humidity remains high. The higher the humidity, the longer it will take to get thoroughly dry. Mine felt dry to the touch, but smeared pretty bad on the sides which really showed up on black paint. I then waited another hour and was able to buff out the smearing at that point. Then with the addition of Z6, the entire car was like glass! Now the problem is not wanting to drive it and get it dirty!

Yep, the humidity reall affects the Z2 drying time. I've tried applying Z2 at the end of the day, and wiping it off early the next day. Works for me. And don't worry about getting it dirty. You'll now notice that most dust and dirt don't stick and/or is very easy to remove. And even when you car IS dirty (as in very dirty), you can still see the Zaino shine. I'm in the NE and haven't washed my car all winter (this is a Zaino duration test), and amazing, it still looks good.

Luck11: The best method I've found for keeping those applicators clean has been to quickly hand wash them in Tide liquid using warm (but not too hot) water.

tpmiller: I've never used Rainmagic but have heard that it has a good reputation. I've used Zaino Z6 on my windshield (after really cleaning it with Zaino Glass Polish and Windex) with similiar results. Z6 is magic!

I expect to get my box of Z this week, so I look forward to some work next weekend. My question is this: after dawn-clay-dawn, I apply Z1 then Z2. After that I can apply more Z2 or Z6. My question is this: it's getting to pollen season here in DC, and in 1 hour of sitting, you'll get a light yellow coat of pollen on your car. Does this pollen get stuck up in the Z if the Z is sitting wet on the car? Or does the pollen become a problem in any other way while applying Z? If so, what solutions have you guys used to Z your cars during the pollen season? I'm concerned that the pollen will totally hose up the optics/shine of Z.

I'm sure many of you have had and may have solved the same problem I am currently wrestling with.After spending time detailing your car, along comes a cat who jumps up on the hood or trunk anddecides to roost there. Their claws may beretracted but the dirt on their paws can stilldamage the finish. Short of shooting them (evengiving that serious consideration), what do y'alldo to keep them away. I bought an ultrasonic pestrepeller that seemed to work pretty good for abouta week but it appears that they get used to it. Isthere a repellant that works? What about somethinglike ammonia in a can or something? Anything? (I originally asked this question in the "other" body care forum but nobody came forth with a good answer. I'm hoping you Zainites are more in touch with this problem ...shucks, I'm turning into a Zainite myself!)

It's pollen season here in MS too, in fact it doesn't take long to have a yellow coating after a short spell of sitting outside. It shows up even more so on my black finish. This morning, I had to wash it before applying the second application of Z-2 and Z6. After getting all the pollen washed off, I applied the Z2 and this time let it sit in the sun for over 3 hours. I know the pollen had gotten on it, but I just buffed out the Z2 as if it wasn't there and the outcome was fantastic. Before I finished the entire car, the pollen had begun to settle on it once more, so as I applied the Z6, I first wiped the pollen off that section with one of the 100% cotton towels and it left no marks whatsoever. Obviously the pollen is ultra fine and non-abrasive, at least to the Zaino. So, pollen or no pollen..the final outcome of the second Zaino application is terrific, I can't see how it could possibly get any shinier or deeper with additional coats. But I will try!Ron

Finally had a day to Zaino my Focus ZX3. Can't believe it! The shine is fantistic. Really notice it going down the road and looking in mirror and seeing the taillights of cars going the other way in my finish.

Pressure washed it first and then washed it with Dawn to get old wax off. Wasn't much on it anyway. Then clayed it. It wasn't bad at all. the Ford Mexican Plant must be really clean as all the clay took off was a bit of tar. Then Zaino Washed her and took her for a ride to dry off and finished off with a chamis cloth. Z-1ed her and then Z-2ed her followed up by the Z-6 gloss enhancer. Didn't bother with the Z-5 as she is still fairly new and didn't have many swirl marks or scratches. Only time for one coat of Z-2 today.

Man, I can't wait to get the second coat on her, but it looks like it will be at least till next week cause weather doesn't look good for this week.

My ZX3 has got the nicest Ford "Malibu Blue Clear Coat Metallic" Finish in this part of the state for sure! Sal should provide a little sticker that says "Protected by Zaino". But I'm afraid it wouldn't stick. I don't know if my magnetic mount CB antenna is going to stay on its so slippery.